LONDON: Britain’s government has delayed into the new year a decision on whether to allow China to build a sprawling and controversial new embassy complex in London, officials said on Tuesday.
A letter written to interested parties by the government department responsible for weighing the request showed that the housing minister has pushed the deadline back to January 20.
“We aim to issue the decision as quickly as possible,” said the letter, released by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).
Residents, rights groups and China hawks from across the UK political spectrum oppose the development, which, if approved, would become the largest embassy in the UK.
They fear the site could be used to surveil and harass dissidents.
